Chairs and Directors Support

Understanding the crucial role you play as the bridge between university administration and faculty, the Office for Faculty Success has partnered with Academic Business and Strategic Operations to curate tools and resources to support your leadership journey. The links below provide you information, practical solutions, and best practices to enhance your effectiveness as a department leader and help you foster a thriving academic environment for your unit department leader.

• Academic Affairs Resource Hub

  • The Academic Affairs Resource Hub is an information center for all things related to academic budgets, HR, and administration.

• Faculty Toolkit

  • The Faculty Toolkit is a key page on the AAD Hub where you will find items such as:

    • Chairs and Directors’ Handbook
    • Map of Faculty Success Processes
    • “Cheat Sheet” of Chair Responsibilities for each semester
    • Discussion list for new faculty in your department
    • Information about the Leadership Refresh Assigned Time Program

• Monthly BRIDGE meetings

  • Building Relationships & Inspiring Departmental Growth and Knowledge (BRIDGE) is a monthly meeting organized by the Office for Faculty Success to build a community of practice for department chairs and school directors. Formerly known as LEAD (Leadership Excellence in Academic Departments), BRIDGE enables you to (1) connect with campus leaders on the latest institutional developments and (2) discuss the soft skills needed to be effective in your role. All Chairs and Directors and Associate Deans are invited to attend.

    Meeting dates and times for AY 2024-25 will be posted here shortly.

    A new cycle of BRIDGE launches each August as a longer Chairs and Directors Kickoff meeting for the academic year. This year’s kickoff was held on August 15, 2024.